Is Mikel Arteta misusing Declan Rice?

Declan Rice was bad at the weekend; there's no escaping that. The midfielder was hooked after 55 minutes against his former club.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat to West Ham was crushing. Arsenal were expected to win at a canter and close the gap on the league leaders Liverpool to five points ahead of their trip to Manchester City the following afternoon. When those expectations weren't met, irrationality came to the fore.

The loss arrived at a delicate time for Gooners. Frustration surrounding the inactive winter remains rife, and recent injury setbacks have only stoked the fire. Emotions are running high, and there's certainly reason to vent, but let's not take it out on Rice.

The England international has found his groove after a slow start to the season, impressing consistently since the November international break. Anyone suggesting the £105m spent to prise him away from the Hammers two summers was a waste is woefully wide of the mark given his body of work in Arsenal colours.

However, there are valid questions as to whether Mikel Arteta is misusing the midfielder.

Mikel Arteta initially wanted to use Declan Rice as Arsenal's #6

After collapsing late in 2022/23 and finishing second to a treble-winning Manchester City side, Arteta sought tactical unpredictability as the next step for his Arsenal team.

“The idea is to be more unpredictable every year, to become more difficult for the opponents to stop and nullify what we want to do,” he said in July 2023 (via The Athletic). “That’s what we have now, especially at the back and in the midfield.

The initial plan was to acquire Kai Havertz as a Granit Xhaka replacement and utilise Rice, who'd shone as a destroyer at West Ham, at the base of midfield.

"My first ever discussions with him were for me to go to Arsenal and play as a number six," Rice told the BBC last summer. "That's where he sees me as my best position."

The Englishman, however, convinced the boss that balance could be sought in the middle of the park if he was playing a more advanced midfield role, especially if Jorginho was in the team. He recorded 12 of his 16 Premier League goal contributions after Christmas - although a chunk of these involvements came via set-pieces.

Rice has not exclusively performed one role in north London, with Arteta's preaching of versatility meaning his function depends on the opposition. His usage as a box-to-box marauder has worked to great effect on the big occasion, and he was recently superb in the 5-1 trouncing of Manchester City. but issues arise when he's forced to operate as a 'needle player' against deep-lying defences.

Mikel Arteta has to revert Rice to the #6 role for certain games

Rice is a space-eater. He's an incredible athlete who eats up ground at a canter. He was also once good for a determined ball-carry or two a game. In the role he's performed for much of 2024/25, some of his finest attributes are restricted.

Rice isn't one for subtlety, but against deep-lying defences this term, he's been asked to function as a reference point between the lines and masquerade as Xhaka as best as he can. However, his right-footedness limits his ability to combine from, and penetrate in behind, the left half-space. While the advanced midfield role gives him license to box crash - which he does rather effectively - greater onus is also placed on his shoulders as a playmaker and final third contributor.

Arsenal have struggled against imposing low blocks who defend with aggression and force the Gunners into crossing barrages. We've seen Newcastle, Bayern Munich, Inter, and now West Ham all have success blocking space against Arteta's side. On such occasions, Rice is surely better served as the chief protector in defensive transition.

An argument could be made that Arteta doesn't have a trusted alternative given Mikel Merino's sluggish start to life in the Premier League. Many suspected the Spaniard would function with comfort from the mystical 'Xhaka role', combining with ease to unlock a dormant left-hand side while supplying value in the opposition's box, too. So far, however, Merino has appeared more Havertzy than Xhaka-like. Rarely have we seen the Rice-Merino-Odegaard triumvirate that many projected would emerge as a staple upon the Real Sociedad midfielder's arrival.

Could we see a midfield dynamic change next season?

My argument isn't that Rice should exclusively perform as Arsenal's number six, but Arteta must reconsider the midfielder's role for particular games. He has great value as #8 on occasion, especially against good opposition.

Rice also has limitations at the base of midfield. He's no Rodri (who is?), and many would argue that Thomas Partey and Jorginho are both slicker operators in the build-up phase. There was a gulf in class between the holding midfielders during the Euro 2024 final last summer, with Rodri and Arsenal transfer target Martin Zubimendi producing masterful displays in conducting while Rice struggled mightily to serve as the Three Lions' metronome. That gulf, however, can be explained by the difference in structural coherence between the two teams.

The links to Zubimendi could open the door for a change in tack, and for Rice to operate alongside the Spaniard in a double pivot. The Spaniard could reduce Rice's build-up responsibilities while freeing him up as a ball-carrying #8 who can crash the box without having to relentlessly play ahead of the ball. Perhaps we'll have a rejuvenated Martin Odegaard weaving his magic wand ahead of the newly-established pivot, with a flying left-back marauding down the left and a new addition supplying a goalcoring threat as an inside forward. One can dream.

It's time for Mikel Arteta to remember why he convinced the Arsenal board to splurge a record fee to sign West Ham's space-eating machine. Misprofiling Declan Rice as an intricate creator is hurting the Gunners against Kryptonite opposition.

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